Bass Purchasing! ...soon

[mroth90]

Hello, coming from the guitar side of the forums. I am in need of bass this summer and just looking for some info. The two models I'm interested in is the bongo and sterling. My main question is the pickup configuration. I've noticed the single humbucker is favoured by a lot of players. What pickup config gives me what? (H/HH/HS for both models). I've played bass throughout highschool for the school band so I like to think I am not a complete newb. I'm mainly using the bass for recording and an occasional gig or two.

Thanks!

 

[tunaman4u2]

1st of all you need to see which neck fits you better, thinner sterling or the wider Bongo

2nd I'd hit up some videos from Ed Friedland on Youtube & listen to the differences

3rd I'd listen to the advice here... but the 1st two steps are crucial man. Feel & Ears... then advice to clarify. Good luck!

 

[mroth90]

Cheers, yes forgot to mention I've played a sterling. I do have small hands so the thinner the neck the better. Thanks for the youtube videos!

 

[adouglas]

Bongo H.

Big Poppa approved. Point and shoot. Killer tone. Chicks dig it.

That is all.

 

[JayDawg]

Bongo H.

Big Poppa approved. Point and shoot. Killer tone. Chicks dig it.

That is all.

I have to agree. I have 2 Bongos with one being a single H and I love it!

 

[J Romano]

As tunaman said earlier, checkout the necks. See what is right for you! I have small hands, my Sterlings are just right for me. My Bongo 5 is much thicker and feels wider, just at the limits of my comfort level. That being said, I ordered a Bongo 4Hp. I think the neck of the 4 string, even though thicker will be fine in the 4 string profile. No one around here carries Bongos, so I can't check it out. Call it a leap of faith, but I am going to get an awesome ax that I am sure will be just right I was hoping for some new Bongo colors this year, guess we will have to wait for the 10th anniversary

 

[madbassplaya]

The single H is killer and I'd love to have one but for recording stuff I would probably opt for a 2 pickup model. I really dig my HH Bongo.

 

[tunaman4u2]

Cheers, yes forgot to mention I've played a sterling. I do have small hands so the thinner the neck the better. Thanks for the youtube videos!

Small hands = Sterling DONE, my favorite bass... so now lets consider pickup configs... BTW with small hands a Big Al will also be nice

 

[fly]

Sterling............'nuff said.

 

[tunaman4u2]

HS vs HH is a personal preference. Either one is awesome. That being said I have the HH & don't often single out the neck H but I do like changing the inner & outer poles.

Its really dead even, good luck!

 

[five7]

HS on the sterling and HH on the bongo are the best!

 

[adouglas]

Small hands = Sterling DONE, my favorite bass... so now lets consider pickup configs... BTW with small hands a Big Al will also be nice

Small hands are not necessarily that much of a hindrance. I've got very short fingers and I play 5-strings exclusively. No issues, and I spend a lot of time reaching across to that B string. (I'd have trouble with a 6, though....)

IMHO thin necks are more about the string spacing you're comfortable with than the width of the fretboard. A guitar guy might be happier with a narrower neck simply because tight string spacing feels like home.

(How small? This small.)

 

[stu42]

Check out the "Diagram and Schematics" links for each of the basses on the EBMM website to see how the pickups and switches are wired. That will answer your main question about "what pickup config gives me what".

Beyond that.....Just wondering why you're leaning towards the Bongo and Sterling as opposed to opening yourself to some of the other models like the Big Al or Reflex.

I agree with adouglas that the Bongo H is killer - so easy to get a great tone on it and it's super punchy and kicks butt. However, I almost tend to think that you shouldn't make that your first bass. That's like buying a Ferrari as your first car. You won't even appreciate how good it is until you've played some other basses first. You need to work your way up to a Bongo H. Give yourself something to strive for!!

Since you want to do recording, the Big Al SSS or Reflex (HH or HSS) would give you a ton of tonal options - plus, they have Passive mode which can work really well for recording. But then, all the EBMM basses have a lot of tonal variety - and keep in mind you can change your sound a lot just by changing your picking/plucking technique.

Ultimately, I think you should try the different models yourself - if you are lucky and can find a store that has a bunch of the different models - but understand that there is quite a bit of difference between them. You can't really draw any conclusions based on the pickup layout, preamp configuration or any other construction items. Even if two models have, for instance, a 4-band EQ it doesn't mean that they will be able to sound the same.

 

[tunaman4u2]

Those are small ass hands wow!

Like I said, he needs to FEEL the necks, play a Sterling\Stingray neck Jazz\P neck, whatever... just get a feel for necks & see what works best there... 2nd step, listen to the basses in person if you can, if not... go to the videos

Then when you are narrowed down... listen to us clucking chickens !

 

[mroth90]

Thanks everyone! really appreciate all the info. I'm not going to make a purchase until 2 months from so I'll have time to try some models out. stu42 I have played bass for over 4 years and played 4-5 different guitar companies throughout. During that time I was more focused on guitar outside of school but I can still play swing/jazz/blues/classical like it was yesterday I'll check out the Big AL and Reflex if possible.

Thanks again!

 

[pnts]

To try and feel out the necks are really good advice.. width aint everything. Both hands have to be comfortable with the string spacing. On Pup-configuration Id like to have a HH but my right hand have a hard time with the 2nd pup getting in the way. Eventually perhaps but that right hand is an old dawg now..